Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage was filmed in one of the country’s oldest and most stunning cities and every location in the film has a story to tell. Though sometimes specific areas of cities are used to “cheat” the look of the city in which the story is supposed to be set, Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage was set and filmed in San Francisco. Shot over three weeks in February of 2020, the locations used in the film showcase some of the city’s most notable buildings and gritty neighborhoods.
In the second installment of the Venom franchise, Eddie and Venom (the symbiote no longer called a symbiote) are attempting to coexist. As sharing a body with an alien has its difficulties, Eddie breaks up with Venom, and returns to life alien-free. That is, until he finds out he is being hunted by Cletus Kasady, a murderer who has escaped from a maximum-security prison thanks to being infected by Venom’s blood, turning him into the symbiote Carnage. Eventually, Venom and Eddie reunite to battle Carnage and save the city and the world.
In an exclusive interview, Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage location manager Chris Kusiak discussed each of the locations and revealed what it was like to film there. He explained that many interior locations needed to be recreated using CGI mapping because Venom and the bigger, more powerful Carnage like to smash things. Here’s a list of Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage locations and when they’re seen in the film.
Tenderloin Neighborhood
The Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco is featured prominently in the film. When asked about filming in the area, Kusiak said:
“We shot overnight and most of those businesses closed at ten or eleven and so we had to pay them to keep their lights on. As a matter of fact, there was a big neon sign on one of the corners near the apartment that hadn’t worked in about 15 years and our guys went in and made it work just for the shot. So that business got a new working sign out of the deal.”
Eddie Brock’s Apartment
Eddie Brock’s apartment is located in the Tenderloin and is a major location in both Venom and Venom 2. In Venom 2, Eddie Brock evicts his non-symbiote roommate, Venom, and the disgruntled Venom throws many of Eddie’s belongings out the window of the apartment onto the street below, including Eddie’s television. When asked about the filming of the scene, Kusiak replied, “that was actual crew that were throwing things out the window including the TV that was landing on the sidewalk below that we had to clear the block for.” He went on to say that the Location Department had to inform the neighbors in the area and get their approval (and sometimes negotiate) in order to facilitate the stunt.
Mrs. Chen’s
Located around the corner from Eddie’s apartment, Mrs. Chen’s shop is also located in the Tenderloin. Venom survives by eating brains and chocolate and Mrs. Chen’s shop is where Eddie buys the chocolate. When Eddie asks Anne to find Venom, Anne discovers that Venom has taken over Mrs. Chen’s body and convinces him to relocate to her own body in order to reunite him with Eddie.
Police Station
Located at 1705 Mariposa St. in Potrero, the Anchor Steam Brewery was used for the exterior of the San Francisco Police Department. In the film, the police station serves as the location for an interview between Eddie Brock and detective Patrick Mulligan, played by Stephen Graham. It is later revealed that Graham's character has become another symbiote threat known as Toxin.
Coit Tower: Eddie And Venom Escape The Police
Located in Pioneer Park, Coit Tower is one of San Francisco’s most iconic buildings and is where Venom and Eddie go to evade the police. Completed in 1933, the 210-foot tower offers some of the best views of the city. The scene with Eddie and Venom shows the city at night with helicopters over the city searching for the pair which, interestingly, were actually the same helicopters from Matrix 4. Both movies filmed simultaneously in San Francisco and, as Matrix 4 commenced filming first, they had first bid on much of the city, leaving Venom 2 to work around them. As Kusiak put it, “The helicopters were actually on the Matrix movie. The Matrix was filming at the same time so we were catching part of their activity on camera.”
Rodeo Beach, CA: Kasady Victim Unearthed
With Venom’s help (and artistic ability), Eddie solves a murder leading police to Rodeo Beach, CA. After meeting with Cletus Kasady, Eddie sees Kasady’s cryptic drawings on the cell wall and Venom deciphers the location of one of Kasady’s victims. Police are seen digging on the beach to unearth the body, and Kasady is sentenced to death.
San Quentin State Prison: Eddie Brock Visits Cletus Kasady
Eddie goes to interview Kasady where he is imprisoned at San Quentin State Prison. The prison seen in Venom 2 is the real, maximum-security prison located north of San Francisco in Marine County, CA. While the interiors of the prison (where Eddie interviews Kasady and where the cells are shown) were created on stage, there was substantial footage shot of the real prison. Filming took place while the prison was still active and there were prisoners onsite. Kusiak revealed the location took months to plan and was, by far, the most challenging location of the film. As he explained in the interview:
“That took months to organize, and it’s very specific, you know? I mean, when you’re inside a maximum-security prison, there’s no room for a crew to do what it often does which is wandering about or kind of stuffing stuff everywhere. It all had to be extremely specific and very rigidly adhered to in that particular location. There was no room for error with that.”
In the film, Carnage breaks out of the prison—and a prison break was a major concern when filming on site (though, minus the symbiote). While filming in the prison, the crew was not allowed to run cable over the wall, as the cable used in filming is thick enough to be climbed, and they were only allowed in certain areas for specified amounts of time. There were also detailed plans in place and meticulous security measures in place in case of a natural disaster.
Columbus Avenue: Cletus Kasady Steals Car
After Kasady, as Carnage, breaks out of prison in the film, he is seen walking on Columbus Avenue. The back entrance of Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club was made to look like a valet. Kasady steals a red sports car and sets off to free his girlfriend, Shriek—Venom 2’s other, sound-powered, villain.
Grace Cathedral: End Battle Between Venom and Carnage
After breaking Shriek out of Ravencroft, Kasady takes her to Grace Cathedral for their wedding. Eddie and Venom arrive on site and the film’s massive end battle between Venom and Carnage takes place inside the legendary cathedral. Exterior shots and some of the interior footage were filmed on-site, but, as Venom and Carnage are both prone to causing wanton destruction, much of the interior footage could not be captured on location.
The Palace of Fine Arts: Scene At End Where Eddie Talks To The Chickens
At the end of Venom 2 (before the credits scene), Eddie sits in front of the Palace of Fine Arts, talking to Venom’s recently-liberated pet chickens, Sonny and Cher. The Palace of Fine arts was built in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific Exposition and is one of the oldest structures in the city. Originally one of 10 palaces built for the Exposition, it is the only palace left today. In the scene, Eddie refers to a nearby statue of Don Quixote that the crew built specifically for Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage.
